Useless Won Bros Heaters??

[troyclark]

Hello all, I have been reading about all the failed Won Bros titanium heaters and was wondering if you all that have had them fail, feel that the heating element was bad or is it the controller getting shorted out ??? I recently had four of the Won Bros 350's fail and was thinking if its the controller, I could buy a seperate controller, have my dad (a licensed electrician) wire a plug on the heating element and use it in the new controller. Any ideas or suggestions ?? Thanks.

[Elcid]

Hey Hi:

Good idea! Let us know how it goes, maybe I won't throw out the last one I have working :)....

take care,
Sandeep

[ronrca]

Definitely worth looking into. The heater part itself is great, better than glass imo. Give it a try and let us know. I may do the same once I get the time.

[john2gs]

Hello all, I have been reading about all the failed Won Bros titanium heaters and was wondering if you all that have had them fail, feel that the heating element was bad or is it the controller getting shorted out ??? I recently had four of the Won Bros 350's fail and was thinking if its the controller, I could buy a seperate controller, have my dad (a licensed electrician) wire a plug on the heating element and use it in the new controller. Any ideas or suggestions ?? Thanks.

I guess...I am one of the few lucky owners.

I have a pair of Pro Heat II (250 watts each). I had them for almost a year now.....I have no complaints so far...

anyways.......pls try your idea. Hopefully your dad will be able to fix the bugs!

[ricmod]

I agree, I have been getting pretty discussed with the 350's also. I've lost four also and its always the controler. Let us know how u come out and what you did!

Rich

[shyvtguy]

I've had a pro-heat II 350 for over 2 years now without incident. Maybe you got some from a bad batch. Hope your heaters can be fixed

[Carol_Roberts]

Mine have been wearing out pretty fast too :(

[jeep]

The two Wons I got 2 years ago are still going strong. The 6 Wons I got one year ago were all either dead before I even opened the box or quit within hours of plugging them in for the first time. Since I refuse to pay an additional $10 per unit to take advantage of their so-called "warranty" :spit: then it would sure be nice to find another use for them besides trowing them in the trash.


Let us know if your plan works!!!

[troyclark]

Thanks for the interest. The farthest I got on my test is to remove the heating element from the Won controller and wire a new male electrical plug on it. I plugged it in a wall outlet to see if it gets warm and i got hot with in 15 seconds. I am looking for a better controller and the best reviews and the most cost effective seems to be the Jalli heater controller. I have found it for 23.99 buts thats as low as I have seen. Has anyone seen it for less or a comparable one ??? I will probably order one or pick one up at the lfs for around 36.00 just to see if its possible. The Jalli is supposed to be able to handle 1000 watts so I am going to plug two of the Won 350 heating elements into it and see what happens. Thanks again, will post results.

[discussmith]

I had a Jalli 500watt and a 300watt plugged into a jalli controller in a 125 gal. Both the 500 watt and the controller failed around a year and a half old. Now to be fair the 500 watt allowed water into itself and and failed but the 300 watt and the controller continued to work for a few months after I moved it to a 65 gal. I still have the 300 watt and have used it on a Ranco controller like at Graingers. This is about twice as expensive but has worked for close to 4 years without a hitch. It is now running 3 200 watt heaters and is rated at over 1600 watts.

[Discusgeo2]

discussmith whats the model # on your controller.

[discussmith]

#111000-000. The simplest model they make. Go to a lumber yard and buy a cheap short extension cord and a couple cord connectors. Cut the cord in two pieces and use the male end for the power and the female end for the output to the heaters. A 16-3 size is ok for up to 800 watts. Any more and you should get a 14-3 cord just to be safe. I plug one of those grounded triple tap couplers for three heaters but you could also use a power strip for multi heaters.

[troyclark]

Just thought I would update. I went ahead and cut the cords off two Won Bros 350's and wired plugins on them. I bought a Jalli Controller rated for 1000 watts and hooked it up to both heating elements yesterday. As of today, everything is working great and I have found the temperature only fluctuated my 1 degree F. I will be keeping my eye on it for at least another week before I trust it though. So, if any of you have any Won Bros heaters that the controller has quit working, you can try this or let me know and I may take them off your hands for you. Thanks

[alpine]

I started keping discus this year. Decided to buy the best equipment I could find. Bought Titanium Won heaters w/ controlers for all four tanks. the second one gave up this last weekend when I was out of town. I guess I will send $10.00 and I will get a new one. I am not going to thrust this heaters anymore . two in less than a year out of four I bought !!!!What are the recommendations for quality titanium heaters ??

roberto.

[Carol_Roberts]

Your guess is as good as mine . . . . :(

[RyanH]

I just had a 350 watt fail on me after less than three months of use. I don't trust any heater manufacturer right now. :mad:

[alpine]

I am serious,I need a recommendation for another heater, I am going to have to buy a second heater for the tanks..winter is coming ......do not trust just one now. should I go back to the ebo jaeger heater of old days ?


roberto.